I'm not into religion, but someone sent this to me and I read the whole lot... and it kinda made me a bit sad! Remember My Birthday????!!!!!! As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year there is a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the celebration will be repeated. During this time there are many people shopping for gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in every part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting closer and closer. It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people think of me. As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many years ago. At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration. Family and friends get together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the celebration. I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The dinner table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I wasn't invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send me an invitation. The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was left outside, they closed the door in my face......... And I wanted to be with them and share their table. In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all close their doors to me. Since I was not invited, I decided to enter the party without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were all drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and laughing at everything. They were having a great time. To top it all, this big fat man all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran to him, saying : "Santa Claus, Santa Claus"... As if the party were in his honor ! At 12 midnight all the people began to hug each other ; I extended my arms waiting for someone to hug me and .... Do you know .... No one hugged me. Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one with great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if, maybe, there was one for me. What would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you did not get one ? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and quietly left. Every year it gets worse. People only remember to eat and drink, the gifts, the parties and nobody remembers me. I would like this Christmas that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you recognize the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to give my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that you believe this with all you heart. I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one has ever imagined, a spectacular party. I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am sending out many invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you wish to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name with golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list will be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invitation, will be left outside. Do you know how you can answer this invitation? It is by extending it to others whom you care for... I'll be waiting for all of you to attend my party this year... See you soon .... I love you !
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Christmas...
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Im a Christian and all and that first bit was kinda Christmasy but the last part just sounded like an advertisment. Anyway kinda a reminder for Christians about the true christmas meaning. I am supprised this thread hasnt been flamed yet.
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In reply to:Matthew 25:31-46New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society(The Sheep and the Goats) 31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."Jesus wants you to go the extra mile to help the less fortunate ("the least among us"). He is very serious about it. The way you treat them is the way you treat Him. Are you a sheep or a goat?
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> a reminder for Christians about the true christmas meaning.
As some Christian groups realize, Christmas (which has pagan roots, and does not take place during the time of year that most historians think that Jesus was born) has very little to do with Chritianity.
I doubt that Jesus got drunk much, or spent a lot of time shopping for gifts at Nazareth-Mart. At least the celebration makes some people think of the needy one time a year.
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Meh it may not have started that way but its supposed to be to celebrate Jesus after it was changed but have slowly evolved back to its pagan roots it seems.
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Today, this guy was preached hatred against homosexuality and current mores, at ground zero of "gayness" in South Beach: I tried to discussed with him Jesus's true message, which (aside from accepting him as the son of God, etc.) is to serve the "least among us", and not be judgemental. He wouldn't accept it, and he told me I was a hypocrite because it took me a few seconds to remember the New Testament passege ID numbers, while he was waving around a bible. OK, I called him a hypocrite first.So there are people yelling about the made-up "war on Christmas", while black Christians are being mass-murdered in Darfur; while people go hungry and without clean water all over the world. The U.S. Congress just voted to cut food stamps, health care, and other important benefits, which are vital to America's poorest citizens. Will we ever learn? I doubt it. Selfishness and judgement trumps all.And "Christian" groups like the American Family Association just keeps spreading hatred. Jesus would not like that.
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He has certainly remembered the true meaning of christmas. Hes full of that love thy neighbor attitude. Ha ha, just look at this guy. I mean he looks hullarious, good thing God doesnt hate obiciety and balding or he would be fucked. Was the woman in the second picture his girlfriend? She sure is lucky to be able to climb on a holly jolly bundle of fun like him every night. I hope he got arrested being such a homaphobe he would have such a tight ass, the boys back at the station must have had a holly jolly christmas stuffing him and tugging on his gibblets. But yes you were right to call him a hipocrite as god says to love thy neighbor etc but his pholospohy is love they neighbor as long as they dont love the cock (unless female). I find it hullarious that people have nothing better to do on their Christmas eve, crazy shit.
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Steve, why do you insist on interrupting every discussion about Christianity BETWEEN CHRISTIANS with an example of the worst behavior from a self-professed Christian you can find? Yeah, you are right. Christians should be more about love and service and not about condemnation. We got that and we didn't need you to tell us about it. And as one who has made a point of slamming Christianity at every turn, when you use scripture or speak to what Christianity should be about, your motives are questionable.
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Did you misunderstand what the opening post of this thread was about? It was about hypocrisy and the hypocrites who make a big deal about the (pagan) trappings of Christmas, while completely missing Jesus' message. They're some of the same people who focus on parts of the scriptures that they interpret in a way that advances their agendas, as opposed to that of their Messiah.
Are you impressed by the cultural war that the Chirstian nationalists on Fox News are trying to whip up, over an imaginary "war" on Christmas? Are you impressed by the "Christians" who are trying to bring religious ideas into biology classes? Why aren't those busybodies serving the poor, which is a Christians highest duty, according to Jesus?
The amount of money people spend on buying gifts that no one needs could feed a lot of people. I scrapped the idea a while back, when none of my friends were poor, after I'd spent a Thanksgiving morning putting together bags of donated food and handing them out to needy people. They were real people, with families, who had fallen on hard times. Do you have any idea what it must feel like to have to balance rent, food, medicine, and clothing? Instead, I sent cards saying that I made a donation on their behalf to the local organization that feeds the hungry. I donated that much and then some.
In this country, a lot of Christians (and Moslems and Jews) need to get their heads out of their rear ends, stop worrying about stupid nonsense, stop judging people, and do something to help "the least among us". And people need food, shelter, clothing, and medical care the rest of the year.
Yet in your Christian nation, 45 million citizens, many of them children, have no health insurance. No Blue Cross. No Medicaid. No prenatal care. Nothing.
Are only "real Christians" allowed to comment on Christianity?
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I wont lie, i havent read one of these posts, tooo long. However i will say this......Ahhhh Nerd Fight
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Steve, you ignorant slut. (Man I miss those days...) In reply to: Did you misunderstand what the opening post of this thread was about? It was about hypocrisy and the hypocrites who make a big deal about the (pagan) trappings of Christmas, while completely missing Jesus' message. No, that's not what it was about. It was about people who get caught up in all the crap and forgot the real point of it all. YOU made it about hypocrisy because that's what you do. It seems that almost every time Christianity is mentioned you simply must point out how Christians are all hypocrites. In reply to: They're some of the same people who focus on parts of the scriptures that they interpret in a way that advances their agendas, as opposed to that of their Messiah. They are quite possibly some of the same people who buy 2% milk instead of whole milk, or who can't stand CSI. So what are you trying to say? This post had absolutely nothing to do with Christians ignoring their mandate to care for widows and orpans and feed the poor and that sort of thing. But, true to form, anytime Christianity is mentioned, you sure the hell are gonna make it about that. In reply to: Are you impressed by the cultural war that the Chirstian nationalists on Fox News are trying to whip up, over an imaginary "war" on Christmas? And what does this have to do with any of it? This totally belongs on another thread. In reply to: Are you impressed by the "Christians" who are trying to bring religious ideas into biology classes? As well as this. Geez...you just can't pass up an opportunity to point out how all us Christians are a bunch of backwater, ignorant, anti-science, neanderthals, can you? In reply to: I scrapped the idea a while back, when none of my friends were poor, after I'd spent a Thanksgiving morning putting together bags of donated food and handing them out to needy people. That's great Steve. You truly are an inspiration to us all. In reply to: In this country, a lot of Christians (and Moslems and Jews) need to get their heads out of their rear ends, stop worrying about stupid nonsense As do a lot of atheists, agnostics, Taoists, Buddhists, ballernias, taxedermists, and Veteran posters with over 10,000 posts. Can you even pretend to be tolerant?I missed you, Steve.
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D> It was about people who get caught up in all the crap and forgot the real point of it all.We're talking about Christians, right? We're not talking about Hindus getting caught up in the Christmas "crap", are we? If that's not hypocrisy, then what on earth is? If you want to have a Baccanalian Saturnalia, what does that have to do with Christianity? Nothing, I think we can agree. If that's what Jesus' life has come to mean for a lot of Christians, is that hypocrisy?D> It seems that almost every time Christianity is mentioned you simply must point out how Christians are all hypocrites.I never said "all". I'd agree with "most", however. Most humans are hypocrites, and Christianity doens't seem to be the cure.The problem is that the "bad" Christians seem to have the floor, at least in the U.S. It's as if the "good" Christians are afraid to speak up. The likes of Bill O'Reiley and Pat Robertson own the Christian media.D> This post had absolutely nothing to do with Christians ignoring their mandate to care for widows and orpans and feed the poor and that sort of thing. But, true to form, anytime Christianity is mentioned, you sure the hell are gonna make it about that.You keep saying what it doesn't say. What do you think it does say? That Jesus thinks that Christians need to be more devout in trimming their Christmas trees?S>> Are you impressed by the cultural war that the Chirstian nationalists on Fox News are trying to whip up, over an imaginary "war" on Christmas?D> And what does this have to do with any of it? This totally belongs on another thread.How could you possibly be missing the connection? That little story, speaking on behalf of Jesus, discusses how people focus on the wrong things. It said:In reply to:At first people seemed to understand and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one seems to know the reason for the celebration.It also said that you will burn in hell for pissing off Jesus. Didn't you get the idea that Jesus wants people to be good Christians, rather than having drunken, materialistic, empty celebrations?S>> Are you impressed by the "Christians" who are trying to bring religious ideas into biology classes?D> As well as this. Geez...you just can't pass up an opportunity to point out how all us Christians are a bunch of backwater, ignorant, anti-science, neanderthals, can you?No, the point is that most Christians are not doing what Jesus suggested they do. They are not good Christians. It would be better if they'd spend more time following Jesus' ideas rather than spending days in shopping malls and then getting drunk, in his name.D> That's great Steve. You truly are an inspiration to us all.The point is that I'm a better Christian than most Christians I know, if Mattew's words have any meaning, and I'm not a good Christian at all.S>> In this country, a lot of Christians (and Moslems and Jews) need to get their heads out of their rear ends, stop worrying about stupid nonsenseD> As do a lot of atheists, agnostics, Taoists, Buddhists, ballernias, taxedermists, and Veteran posters with over 10,000 posts.The folks in your list aren't nearly as sanctimonious as the folks in my list. When was the last time you heard a Buddhist tell you that you're going to burn in hell for eternity if you don't believe what he believes? That claim is made by your religion. Jesus himself said it. (John 3:18)D> Can you even pretend to be tolerant?No, and neither was Jesus. He had harsh words Pharisees and other assorted bullshitters.If you chose to follow a religion that originated with a tribe of desert dwellers in the late iron age, and accept their understanding of life and science and the origin of the universe as truth, so be it.D> I missed you, Steve.And I, you!D> Define nerd... If you say or do anything that exceeds my attention span, you are a nerd.
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Alternatives to commercial present-buying are beginning to appear. See, for example, http://www.tear.org.au/giftcatalogue/.
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that kinda thing is a great idea pete, me and my family bought 2 goats for a village in the third world..............
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Pete, that is a great idea!There are also other such good organizations as well. Here is some info from the BBB on "wise giving" (mainly applicable to U.S. charities). This article on "micro philanthropy" explains why small donations (in large numbers) are valuable to some charitable efforts. The WWW should make it a lot easier to do (with less overhead).
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In reply to:
The point is that I'm a better Christian than most Christians I know, if Mattew's words have any meaning, and I'm not a good Christian at all.
That's just absurd. First of all Christianity isn't defined by that passage in Matthew. Secondly, you don't even accept the fundamental tenents of Christianity.
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The folks in your list aren't nearly as sanctimonious as the folks in my list. When was the last time you heard a Buddhist tell you that you're going to burn in hell for eternity if you don't believe what he believes? That claim is made by your religion. Jesus himself said it. (John 3:18)
Christianity isn't about burning in hell because you don't believe what a Christian believes. It is about believing what Jesus said. You do or you don't. It's that simple. It doesn't make one sanctimonious to believe the claims and teachings of Jesus.
The bottom line is, and I believe I'm not the only one who sees it, is that you seem to take every chance possible - sometimes even stretching things to create an opportunity - to post your belief that Chirstianity is for the ignorant and that Christians are anti-science and that Christians are hypocrites and on and on ad nauseum...
You've stated your beliefs and they are duly noted. Can't that be enough?
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First of all Christianity isn't defined by that passage in Matthew. Secondly, you don't even accept the fundamental tenents of Christianity.From my reading of the sermon on the mount, the golden rule, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Godspell, Jesus was concerned about accepting him as savior/son of God, serving your fellow man, and not being a Pharisee-like hypocrite. That's pretty much the crux of it. Jesus had little to nothing to say about homosexuality, creationism, abortion, Republican politics, and other things that activist American Christians are obsessed with.Jesus wanted people to turn (i.e., present) the other cheek when attacked. He wanted us to feed and clothe the needy. He wanted us to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. He also said that it would be camel-through-the-eye-of-a-needle impossible for a rich person to get into heaven.> Christianity isn't about burning in hell because you don't believe what a Christian believes. It is about believing what Jesus said.Christians allegedly believe what Jesus said. Jesus and other Christians believe that if I don't accept Jesus as "the way", I will not enter the kingdom of heaven, and will thus burn in hell. Hell is described in graphic detail in Revelations. Lots of teeth gnashing.What people believe is not important, though. What people do is what's important. I couldn't care less whether someone accepts Jesus as his personal savior. It would be nice if people who profess to follow a religion whose founder said many, many times how important it is to serve others, would do so.There are many Christians who are actually following the teachings of Jesus. They're in places like Sudan, helping the persecuted. They were in Europe, during World War II, helping the persecuted. They were marching for civil rights in the South in the 1950's and 60's, for the benefit of the persecuted and downtrodden. They're living among the poorest people in the world, helping the hungry and afflicted. But then there are also many non-Christians who are doing the same.Unfortunately, the majority of Christians are the selfish, self-centered, tribal people that the majority of humans are. The religion itself, just like all other religions, hasn't really gotten us anywhere in the civilization department.Rather than simply gainsaying everything I say and questioning my motives, tell me what your idea of Christianity is, and how it's made a difference in the real world. What would Jesus say about poverty in the U.S. and the rest of the world?
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I guess the bottom line is your motives. That's what I question. I can live with that. Can you?I think in the interest of Christian charity I'm going to not continue this pissing contest. The only thing I will add is that studies show that there are reliable studies showing that the people most likely to participate in charitable giving are Evangelical Christians, Builders (age 54-72), people from households making over $60,000, and political conservatives.Additionally, the groups with the highest average dollar per person given are Evangelical Christians, people from households making more than $60,000, registered Republicans, college graduates, political conservatives, people 54 or older, and residents of the South.Let me also say that I didnt' mean for it to sound like I was belittling the charitable work you do. I hope others follow your example.And finally...I really think we could be brougt up on charges of hijacking this thread!
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I'd like to see your numbers and their source. I've seen the same numbers, and if you subtract out what the evangelicals give to their church, you don't have much charity left. But you do have nice stained glass windows, and pretty outfits for the choir.> people from households making over $60,000As a percentage of income and assets? People who make a lot of money have more disposable income than people who don't, and should contribute an even bigger percentage of their income. Instead, they contribute a smaller percentage.> and political conservatives.Yeah, to their churches. Do contributions to the RNC count as charity?> residents of the SouthTo their churches! Are you equating contributions to churches with contributing money to feeding hungry people and treating sick people? I don't see many Medicaid-hating conservatives, most of them "Christian", dressing the wounds of poor people. And the folks who (yet) in poverty, but have no health insurance, are invisible, all 45 million of them.The U.S., probably the most Christian nation in the world, gives less foreign aidper capita than any other developed country (something like 0.6% of GDP). And a lot of that aid has strings attached!Jesus told us that we need to give our stuff away to those who need it.I would think that remembering Jesus, which is what this thread is about, encompasses remembering what Jesus preached, so I don't understand who's hijacking the thread.